American players in the Bundesliga: weekly overview

2 weeks ago

How have Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and the growing list of Americans in the Bundesliga been doing? Join bundesliga.com for a star-spangled overview of how the U.S. soccer stars are faring in Germany’s top division, week on week.

Weston McKennie

McKennie made a flying start to the season and followed up on his maiden UEFA Champions League goal against Lokomotiv Moscow by opening the scoring in Schalke’s 2-0 win at Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 7. He's had a couple of minor niggles, but has still made 19 appearances, even moonlighting as a second striker on a couple of occasions, and once as a wing-back. He's started six out of Schalke's nine Bundesliga matches in 2019, missing one game through suspension and sitting out on Matchdays 23 and 24 due to a thigh complaint. He returned to the starting line-up for Matchday 25's trip to Bremen as Schalke slipped to a 4-2 defeat, but missed out for a month after suffering a nasty ankle injury whilst on international duty. He made his comeback to the side in the 5-2 defeat at home to Hoffenheim on Matchday 30, and played 77 minutes of his side's Matchday 31 victory in Dortmund. McKennie played from start to finish as Schalke secured their Bundesliga status for another year with a draw with Augsburg on Matchday 32. The versatile Texan played from start to finish on the right-hand side of a back three in the 1-1 draw in Leverkusen on Matchday 33.

Weston McKennie has scored two goals so far this season, one in the Champions League and one in the Bundesliga. - AFP/Getty Images

Bobby Wood

Wood joined Hannover on loan from northern rivals Hamburg at the start of the season and hit a brace in a 3-1 win over VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 7. The Hawaii native followed that up with another goal against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 12, but has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular and has not found the net again since. He has made 20 Bundesliga appearances so far this term (eight as a substitute), and came on in the second half in the Matchday 23 defeat at home to Eintracht Frankfurt. He played the full 90 minutes in the 5-1 defeat away to fellow strugglers VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 24, but hasn't featured since, largely due to a knee injury.

Bobby Wood is Hannover's joint-top scorer this season with three goals. - 2018 Getty Images

Josh Sargent

After head coach Florian Kohfeldt said the then 18-year-old had "outgrown the reserves" earlier this season, he has gradually introduced Sargent to first-team action. The USA international made his Bundesliga debut on Matchday 14 and scored within seconds of entering the pitch in the 76th minute, helping seal a 3-1 win over Düsseldorf. Sargent was on target again a couple of weeks later against RB Leipzig and, following a sprinkling of further substitute appearances, made his first Bundesliga start on Matchday 23 in a 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart. His latest top-flight appearance came off the bench in Bremen's 3-1 win over Mainz on Matchday 27, and after a few weeks out of the squad he was an unused substitute on Matchdays 31, 32 and 33.

Watch:Sargent's maiden Bundesliga goal

Tyler Adams

The day after his 20th birthday, Tyler Adams celebrated with his first Bundesliga assist, setting up Yussuf Poulsen for his second goal in the 3-1 win over Stuttgart on Matchday 22. The game stands as one of nine starts the American has made since joining Leipzig from New York Red Bulls during the winter transfer window and, with eight wins and one draw in that time, Adams is still yet to taste defeat in Germany's top flight. After being a half-time substitute against Hoffenheim on Matchday 23, he went on to feature in the first XI against Nuremberg, Augsburg, Schalke and in Leipzig's most recent 5-0 win over Hertha Berlin, in which he produced a peach of a pass to set up Poulsen for his hat-trick. He has been absent since Matchday 28 due to a groin injury.

Watch:Adams enjoying life in the Bundesliga so far

John Brooks

After injuries restricted his appearances last season, Brooks has been a rock at the centre of Wolfsburg's defence this term, starting 29 of his team's 30 Bundesliga games. The only one he has missed was through suspension. He scored in his first outing of the season, a 2-1 victory over Schalke on Matchday 1, and has been a key figure as Wolfsburg push to qualify for European football next year, helping them keep eight clean sheets along the way. Brooks was imperious over the full 90 minutes on Matchday 27, but ended on the losing side as two goals in injury time saw Dortmund snatch all three points, but he then helped the Wolves return to winning ways against Hannover on Matchday 28. He has three goals and two assists in the current campaign, with his most recent strike a 90th-minute equaliser against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 30. Brooks was was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a ligament strain picked up in that game.

John Brooks is one of the first names on the teamsheet at Wolfsburg this season. - imago/Camera 4

Alfredo Morales

Morales has made 20 appearances for promoted Düsseldorf in 2018/19. He scored in the Matchday 3 win over Hoffenheim, and provided an assist in the 2-1 triumph in Augsburg. The 28-year-old has played in defensive, central and attacking midfield positions and could be forgiven for expecting a return to the international set-up having started 16 of Fortuna's 30 Bundesliga matches so far this term. Morales was as a 77th-minute substitute at home to Frankfurt on Matchday 25 but remained on the bench throughout the Matchday 26 defeat in Wolfsburg and Matchday 27's win over Gladbach. A groin injury kept the midfielder sidelined on Matchday 28, but he made a substitute appearance in the defeat to Bayern on Matchday 29 and played 70 minutes of the Matchday 30 loss to Mainz. He did not make it off the bench on Matchday 31, but made appearances as a second-half substitute on Matchdays 32 and 33.

Haji Wright

The Los Angeles native was the beneficiary of a wave of injuries at Schalke that struck down fellow forwards Breel Embolo, Guido Burgstaller, Mark Uth and Franco Di Santo towards the end of 2018. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands after making his long-awaited Bundesliga debut as a substitute in Schalke's 5-2 win over Nuremberg in November. Wright was handed his first start the following week and scored on his second, in the 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 16. As the first-team regulars have recovered, he has only made two three substitute appearances since then, most recently on Matchday 23.

Fabian Johnson

Despite scoring in Gladbach's opening-day win over Bayer Leverkusen, Johnson only featured sporadically for the Foals during the first half of the season before things took a turn for the better post-Christmas. He has made nine starts in 15 appearances all told, five of which have come since he was named in the first XI for the first time in 2019 on Matchday 22, playing at right-back in his side's 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt. Since then, the 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich on Matchday 24 is the only game in which he didn't feature from the off. After completing the full 90 minutes against Mainz and Freiburg, the 31-year-old was brought off in the 69th minute of Gladbach's 3-1 loss to Düsseldorf. Johnson came off the bench in 66th minute of the Foals' 1-1 draw with Bremen on Matchday 28, but was an unused substitute on Matchdays 29, 30 and 31 before a calf strain ruled him out on Matchdays 32 and 33.

Fabian Johnson has been on the fringes for Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2018/19, but his versatility still makes him a valuable option for coach Dieter Hecking. - imago/DeFodi

Timothy Chandler

Chandler played in 24 matches for Frankfurt last season and featured in several friendlies in pre-season, before undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right knee. He returned to first-team action as a second-half substitute in Frankfurt's triumphant UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg against Benfica on 18 April, and after a couple of weeks as an unused substitute, returned to Bundesliga action in the 74th minute of Frankfurt's Matchday 32 clash in Leverkusen. He was an unused substitute against Mainz the following week.

Timothy Chandler is approaching a comeback for Eintracht Frankfurt after suffering a serious injury in pre-season. - imago/Sch¸ler

Timothy Tillman

Club: NurembergAge: 20Position: Attacking midfielder

On loan from Bayern Munich's reserves, Tillman made his professional debut on Matchday 25, coming off the bench early in the second half of Nuremberg's clash with 1899 Hoffenheim. Unfortunately, the youngster was unable to prevent Der Club suffering a 2-1 loss that left them rooted to the foot of the table. He made his first Bundesliga start on Matchday 26, playing 59 minutes of the narrow defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt, but didn't feature off the bench as Nuremberg ended a 20-game winless streak with a 3-0 win at home to Augsburg on Matchday 27. Tillman was an unused substitute again on Matchdays 28 and 29, but came on for the last 15 minutes of their 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 30. The 20-year-old made an 18-minute cameo appearance in the 1-1 draw against his parent club Bayern on Matchday 31, but was an unused substitute against Wolfsburg on Matchday 32. He was brought off the bench in the 61st minute of his side's defeat to Gladbach on Matchday 33.

Watch:Tillman on giving his mum a special gift

Sebastian Soto

Club: HannoverAge: 18Position: Striker

Los Angeles-born Soto made his Bundesliga debut for Hannover on Matchday 28, coming on as a substitute with 11 minutes to play in what ended in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg. The teenager has been incredibly impressive since coming to the Bundesliga come last summer, scoring 12 goals in 18 games for Hannover's U19 team this season. After making his debut, Soto was an unused substitute on Matchday 29 and made a late cameo in the Matchday 30 draw in Berlin. He wasn't included in the squad on Matchdays 31 and 32.